John McKinstry, Vice Chair of the IAGSDC, receives the Canadian display from All Join Hands

In October, 2003, All Join Hands Foundation’s first project was realized when it donated two additional travelling displays to the IAGSDC. One will remain in Canada and the second will join the original display in travelling around the United States. The IAGSDC has also received grants to cover the expense of transporting the display through 2006.

All Join Hands Foundation also funds the production and mailing of the IAGSDC newsletters, which are sent to all members of IAGSDC clubs. These newsletters keep all members informed of the current activities of the Association. We are also funding the production of a new informational brochure to promote GLBT square dancing and educate the public about it.

Our biggest project so far is funding the Gay Callers Association Caller Schools held at the annual IAGSDC Conventions in 2004, 2005, and 2006. All Join Hands Foundation's support has allowed the GCA to lower tuition, making the school affordable for all who wanted to attend. The result have been the most well-attended GCA Caller Schools in many years.

To encourage mixing between GLBT square dancers and the larger straight square dance community, All Join Hands Foundation funded the Trail-In Dances at the annual IAGSDC Conventions in 2004, 2005, and 2006. These dances were advertised to the local community and were free to all. They have been huge successes! Many straight square dancers took advantage of this opportunity to dance to their favorite callers and were exposed to GLBT square dancing for the first time.

In 2005 and 2006, All Join Hands Foundation added funding for Contra Dance at conventions, bringing together the local GLBT contra community and the GLBT square dance community, and to begin an outreach to GLBT contra dancers.

Currently All Join Hands Foundation is focusing its efforts on marketing and promotion. Other projects include other outreach programs to the straight square dance community, educational seminars, and public service announcements, but the progress does not need to stop here. Funding such projects is only the beginning of ways All Join Hands Foundation can positively influence GLBT square dancing and related dance forms. The possibilities are endless!

The key words to our goals are Preserve, Promote, and Educate! Please contact All Join Hands Foundation if you have ideas for specific projects that we can fund to advance our goals.

An important note: because of our tax-exempt status, All Join Hands Foundation can fund dances only in certain situations, and cannot make general cash grants to individuals or clubs. For example, we cannot give a club a cash grant to use for promotion, but we can fund specific promotional activities.